Snow and Rose had never felt so defeated in their entire lives.

Both of them, born into privilege and raised with status, had grown up in worlds where failure never truly took root.

The idea of defeat was foreign—something that only happened to people who weren’t them.

Snow, the imperial crown princess, had always lived surrounded by politics, pressure, and expectations.

From a young age, she was trained to handle it all—emotions, strategy, diplomacy, strength.

If she wanted something, she found a way to get it.

She had always believed in earning things with her own hands, and up until now, that belief had never betrayed her.

Rose, on the other hand, had a freer path.

Carefree and unpredictable, she leaned on her talent more than effort, and it had always been enough.

Her whimsical nature and natural brilliance meant she never really had to try too hard—things just worked out for her.

They always had.

Sure, there had been small setbacks along the way.

Nothing is ever perfect.

But this… this was different.

This was the first time they had felt so helpless.

So conflicted.

So lost.

And it was all over something they wanted so badly.

What was supposed to be a fun, maybe a little awkward, but meaningful night had turned into something else entirely.

It was supposed to be a step forward—an honest attempt at deepening the bond they shared with someone they loved.

The next stage.

The third step in a relationship, if you want to call it that.

A night where fully bloomed feelings would finally be acknowledged.

Where the invisible walls between them and him would come down.

It was supposed to be the night their hearts were chosen.

But in the end… only one flower was picked.

“Uhm… Snow, Rose, can you guys tell me what exactly happened now…?” came Riley’s slightly unsure voice, his brows furrowed with a troubled look as he glanced between the two girls walking beside him.

After the somewhat calm breakfast back at Riley’s place, the three of them were now strolling through the main streets of Hamen City—side by side, just as Liyana had suggested earlier.

It was supposed to help ease the mood, give them space to cool down.

The city was lively, warm sunlight stretching across stone roads and colorful storefronts.

But despite the cheerful atmosphere, the tension between them lingered.

Snow was holding Riley’s left hand, while Rose gently clung to his right.

Neither of them had let go since they left the house, but their silence said more than words ever could.

At his question, both girls let out a soft sigh—quiet, tired, and almost in sync.

They looked at him, the one boy who somehow managed to steal both their hearts, and even though they knew deep down none of this was his fault… a part of them still wanted to blame him.

“You really don’t remember…?” Snow asked, narrowing her eyes ever so slightly. Her voice wasn’t angry, just… disappointed.

“I swear I don’t…” Riley answered, scratching the back of his head. “I really don’t know what I did to upset you two… but if I did something—whatever it was—I’m really sorry.”

Snow looked away for a moment, lifting her eyes toward the pale blue sky.

“You didn’t do anything,” Rose murmured, her voice quiet as the breath she let out turned to faint mist in the cold morning air. “That’s the problem.”

“…Excuse me?” Riley blinked, confused.

Another sigh. This one from both of them. Simultaneous again. A little heavier than before.

“You didn’t do anything,” Snow repeated gently, looking back at him with an unreadable expression. “And that’s exactly why it hurts.”

“Well~ I guess with how intense you were last night and how unimaginably good it felt, it’s understandable you’d forget, hm?” Rose teased, her tone light but her gaze sharp.

“He didn’t seem to forget anything with Alice though,” Snow added, tilting her head with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “So maybe he’s just playing us~”

“Look, I really don’t remember… I mean, maybe a little, but it’s all hazy. Just blurry pieces at this point,” Riley replied quickly, his voice somewhere between defensive and guilty.

“Oh~?” Rose leaned in slightly, her breath cool against his arm.

“So, you do remember something. Do tell us, Riley—what exactly do you remember~?”

Snow gave him a warm, almost innocent smile as she asked, but Riley could feel the weight behind it.

And for a moment, he debated—should he be completely honest, or say something that might soften the mood?

He chose honesty.

“Well… the three of you were on my bed,” he began carefully. “You were hugging me. One on each side. Tightly. Then… Liyana climbed on top of me. She touched me, I touched her… we kissed.”

Snow’s grip on his hand tightened slightly.

“And then~?” Rose asked sweetly.

“Then… everything kind of fades. That’s when it all becomes really blurry.”

“Is that so~?” Snow murmured, her voice still soft, but now tinged with something colder.

“I guess Liyana had you in a tighter loop than we thought,” Rose said under her breath.

“What’s that supposed to mean…?” Riley asked, confused.

“Exactly what Rose meant, Riley~” Snow said, finally letting go of his hand.

“You said you’d love all of us equally. That you wouldn’t choose, and that we wouldn’t need to fight for your attention. But it sure didn’t feel that way last night. Maybe it’s because you two have history, and maybe that’s something we can’t compete with…”

She paused, turning to face him fully. Her eyes shimmered with something between frustration and hurt.

“But,” she said, her voice trembling just slightly now, “ignoring us like that… while doing it so intensely with her… it was humiliating.”

“Snow—” Riley started, but she cut him off.

“D-Do you know how embarrassing it was?” she asked, her voice cracking just a little as her eyes dropped to the ground. “Begging you… begging you to touch me, to even look at me, while you didn’t even hear us… like we weren’t even there.”

Seeing the hurt on their faces, Riley felt a quiet weight sink in his chest.

A dull, twisting guilt.

Yeah, he probably acted like a complete idiot last night.

To be honest… he did remember bits and pieces.

He remembered holding Liyana close, remembered the way her touch made everything around him blur out.

Everything had felt like a dream—his emotions a mess of confusion, warmth, longing, fear, joy. But even in that haze, had he really ignored Snow and Rose? Just… left them there?

‘Did I actually do that?’

The thought alone made his stomach churn.

He remembered being overwhelmed.

That strange mix of being wanted and wanting to make someone else happy.

Maybe he got carried away.

Maybe it was just easier to focus on the one girl clinging to him, whispering things that made his heart race and his thoughts scatter. But that didn’t excuse it.

Snow and Rose… they’d always carried themselves with pride.

Royalty.

Nobility.

They were used to being respected, adored—even feared.

But last night, they had begged for attention from the boy they loved… and he hadn’t even looked at them.

Didn’t hear them.

Didn’t notice their voices cracking in the dark.

And now they were still here.

Still holding his hands.

Still choosing to be near him, despite how humiliating that must’ve been.

He let out a soft sigh, his thoughts swirling.

He wasn’t good at this sort of thing.

Romance, relationships, emotional damage control.

No one had ever taught him how to fix something like this. But—

Somehow, doing nothing felt worse.

He pulled both girls gently toward him, arms wrapping around them as he brought them in close, holding them together on each side.

They both stiffened slightly in surprise.

“What are you doing…?” Snow asked, blinking up at him.

“You said I failed to give you attention, right?” Riley replied quietly.

“Technically, yes…” Rose mumbled, still pressed against him, eyes slightly narrowed but softer now.

“Then let’s go have some fun,” he said. “Just the three of us. No distractions. No drama. Just us.”

The girls didn’t answer immediately. But they didn’t pull away either.

And that, for now, should have been enough. Or at least, that’s what Riley thought.

“Then do us tonight,” Snow said suddenly, her voice quiet but firm.

“E-Excuse me?” Riley blinked.

“You said you want to make up for it, right?” Rose followed up; her expression unreadable.

“Well… yeah, I do,” Riley admitted, glancing at them both. “But now really isn’t the time to talk about stuff like that, is it? The mood’s all off—and I still have to meet with the Grand Duke later to talk about… everything. Us. And don’t you two have something to discuss with him too? I’m pretty sure today’s already full…”

Truthfully, his mind was already overloaded. Just trying to keep up with Liyana’s strange behavior these past few days had taken a toll, not to mention—

‘That old man might show up at any time soon…’ Riley thought, his jaw tightening a bit at the thought.

He wanted to reason with them.

Wanted to ask for time.

But then—

“We don’t care,” Snow said softly, cutting him off.

“Or… do you not want to do it with us, perhaps?”

Rose added, her words coated in sweetness, but there was something else behind them.

A flicker of pain.

Their faces looked calm, almost teasing, but the sadness behind their eyes made Riley pause.

It wasn’t just about what happened last night—it was everything.

Their pride, their vulnerability, and the fact that they had to ask for something they were too proud to say outright.

He let out a quiet sigh, then stepped forward, pulling them both close by their waists.

Before either of them could speak, he leaned in and kissed them—one after the other, deep and slow.

Their eyes widened.

And yet, neither pulled away.

He didn’t care about the crowd anymore.

Didn’t care about the curious glances or the whispers on the street.

He leaned in, his voice low as he whispered at their ears, “I won’t let you sleep tonight then~”

The two girls turned bright red, glancing at each other, clearly flustered—but satisfied.

It was then Riley realized just how troublesome maintaining a proper harem actually was.

….

Just at the corner of the street, near the café’s open terrace, the sight of a strikingly intimate scene was unfolding.

Three beautiful individuals—no, ethereal was the better word—stood in the center of attention, locked in bold kisses under the open sky.

Riley, with his golden-blond hair and calm demeanor, held two stunning girls close by the waist as he kissed them deeply, one by one.

The crowd couldn’t help but watch in stunned fascination, murmurs growing among the onlookers as the trio ignored the world around them.

Sitting at a nearby balcony, half-shadowed beneath a canvas awning, an elderly man—who looked anything but elderly—sat with a cup of warm tea in his hand.

His youthful frame, sharp features, and commanding presence betrayed his true age.

The air around him was calm, but his gaze was anything but.

“Hoho…” he murmured with a sharp smile, his piercing eyes narrowed. “So this is the bold brat who dared to ask for my beloved granddaughter’s hand…”

A thin, sudden spark of purple electricity flickered from his irises, momentarily cracking the calm mask he wore.

And yet, not a single thread of killing intent slipped out—not a hint leaked into the atmosphere.

His control was flawless, terrifyingly so.

“I was hoping he’d be better than the rumors said… But he’s even more thick-skinned than I expected. Shameless. Brazen.” He let out a low sigh of disappointment. “Quite the letdown.”

A soft, lilting voice chimed in from behind.

“Fufu~ You really shouldn’t judge someone based on first impressions, Clan Head,” said a young woman, stepping up beside him with the grace of a dancer and the poise of a blade.

Bom Gyeoul.

Her fox-like red eyes were slightly closed in amusement, but the glow beneath them shimmered with layered emotions—curiosity, mischief, and a hidden fury.

Her lips curled in a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.

“Tch. There’s a reason first impressions matter, my dear Bom,” the old man growled. “Or are you suggesting this brat is actually worthy of your sister’s hand?”

“Haha. Not at all,” Bom replied playfully, resting her chin on her hand. “But he does seem interesting, wouldn’t you say?”

She leaned over the railing just slightly, her gaze locked on Riley from across the street. “To think… he made my precious Seo fall so hard. Doesn’t that pique your curiosity, Clan Head~?”

The man grunted, the spark returning in his eyes.

“Hah!? The only way that could happen is if he manipulated her. Her heart is too pure—too honest. Look at him. A playboy through and through. I heard he was already betrothed to Luther’s daughter, and yet here he is, kissing girls on the street like a damn parade. Pathetic.”

Bom chuckled softly at her grandfather’s frustrated tone, then returned her eyes to Riley, watching the way the girls beside him clung to his arms, smiling and blushing as if he were their sun.

She remembered Seo’s sudden confession….

“I think I’m in love with Riley, Big Sister Bom…”

The words were strange, alien even, coming from her younger sister Seo. And yet… that very strangeness sparked something thrilling inside Bom. A challenge. A question. A hunger.

What kind of man had made Seo—her Seo—say such a thing?

Her lips curved upward; her gaze now laced with something sharper.

“Riley,” she whispered to herself, her voice a quiet mix of amusement and intent, “Riley Hell, hm~ what a cute name….”

“Did you say something?”

“Nope~”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep